Prologue: The Pony From The Mountain Part 1

Twilight Sparkle was busily sweeping away the dust from the bookshelves inside her house in Ponyville, having gotten the books out of the way before she would rearrange them. Spike was busy getting the other side of the library cleaned, not having gotten all the books out of the way yet. The sound of the dragon moving up the stepladder filled the room but Twilight paid him no mind.

'I really should have done this sooner,' she thought in her head, 'The princess would be mad if she found out about this mess!' She smiled at herself, knowing that the Princess wouldn't give a second thought to the mess that the library was in, but she needed something to keep herself motivated. She kept on going through the bookshelves, dust flying all over the place until she had to cover her mouth so she wouldn't breathe it in. The day was not so windy as she expected it to be so she had neglected opening the windows, as much for the impracticality of the matter, the embarrassment of the idea of any ponies passing by and seeing the mess the library had become and as much as the fear that some of the more delicate books would not survive any surprise gusts of wind intact.

Spike, on the other hand, was carefully taking every book from their places before placing them on the floor. The last time one of Twilight's books got burned by his dragon breath, there was so much mayhem that Spike was not sure if he would live long enough to see another time. So, to ensure his continued existence, he had Rarity make him a protective mask so he could not use his fire breath while wearing it. The green scales of his head mixed in with the colours of the mask but not so much as to make him look like some sort of monster. He was still recognizable as the Spike everypony had come to know. But as he went through the last books, there was one that would not come out. He scratched his head before trying to pull it out with all his might, but he instead lost his grip and fell off the stepladder, causing a huge mess of books everywhere.

Twilight walked up and looked at the baby dragon with an annoyed look on her face.

'Don't look at me, that book is to blame,' Spike said, pointing towards the tome with a dragon made from golden leaves hugging the back of the book.

With a sigh, Twilight tried to move the book but was surprised when it wouldn't budge. She tried harder and harder until she had to catch her breath - full of the dust she was busily sweeping moments ago. The coughing went on for almost a minute. Spike was wondering whether he should offer his mask for Twilight, but by the time he had come to a conclusion, all the dust was gone along with the coughing. In the back of her mind Twilight thought that perhaps the windows should have been opened anyway. She looked at the book with anticipation clearly showing in her tone of voice.

'Oh this book is going to get it!'

Mustering all her power, she tried pulling the book out of the shelf. It was next to impossible, as if the book was one with the bookshelf. Spike looked on with a worried demeanor, wondering if Twilight would pull the whole house into the air in an effort to get at the book.

Before the worst could happen, she stopped and looked at the book with a mix of exhaustion and confusion.

She stepped on the ladder to get a closer look at it. The backside of the book was green, with golden lines of text on it that read: "The Dragon's Fire"

The front of the book was not simple to get a look at due to the awkward position of the stepladder, but Twilight could clearly see a dragon breathing a flame that formed the same letters as the ones on the back of the book. The backside of the book was a lot more cryptic.

'Dragons are known to possess mysterious powers. Many see them as a symbol of destruction and see only that which was removed by flame. Many are aware of the dragons flame breath and its destructive power, but it is a far less known fact as to how the great flying lizards use their power to blaze a trail forward in their long lives. Those who seek to learn, may find that a dragons flame can be as revealing as a key to a lock.

But for those who have not the strength will find themselves consumed by the fire that they try to control.'

Twilight started thinking... Obviously the book was related to dragons, of that there was no doubt. But if they were to be read by dragons only, why didn't Spike manage to get it out? That book was no ordinary book. But why would anypony make something like this? She thought for a second that perhaps some pony wanted to jest the previous occupant of the great tree house, but dismissed it immediately as being just far too unlikely. But it did not still answer her question. Was it to keep unwanted ponies out? Or to keep something in?

Clearing her mind she came to the conclusion that thinking about the purpose behind the book was getting her nowhere. If the book is about dragons, then it must take something that only a dragon can do to get to the heart of this matter.

Then she realized it! Blazing a trail forward! Key to a lock! It all makes sense!

'Spike, can you torch that book with your flame breath?' Twilight said, looking at the dragon as he cleared himself an area he could stand on. The dragon looked at her with alarm within his eyes.

'Wh-wha? Seriously? You always go on about me having to be careful aroun-'

'I mean it, Spike! Just do it! I'll douse it out in case I am wrong.'

The dragon looks at the book for a moment before he sighs.

'Just don't hold me responsible if the house gets burned down...'

A green flame soon emits from the baby dragon's mouth and it envelops the book. The dragon on the cover seems to move along the flames licking the books surface, as if bathing in it.

Suddenly a flash of magical light envelops the book- no, the whole bookcase! Twilight looks at the bookcase with a scared look on her face, but she wants to get to the heart of this mystery.

As suddenly as the magical light appeared, it was gone, as was the bookcase! In it's stead stood a small and short staircase leading to a room with a horn mounted on a bronze dragon sculpture's mouth. Twilight went inside with Spike walking by her side, both being unsure of what will happen.

A note stood on a small marble pedestal. The magic that kept this room concealed also seemed to have stopped the aging process of the paper, as it smelled of fresh ink! It was as if the note would have been written moments ago! Intrigued by the magic used to conceal the room and to make sure this message reached the one who could figure out the puzzle, she unwrapped the paper and began to read it:

'Behold the Horn of the Mountain, dear holder of this note. Know that should the land be under threat that even the dragon-kind cannot beat, the horn shall be your salvation. Blow it and look towards the mountains. I shall come and free you from the evil that you fight against.

• Yours truly, The Exiled Hermit'

'Well that's cryptic... What do you think, Spike?'

'I say we leave it alone, this place gives me the creeps. Besides, who knows what would happen!'

It was clear that the dragon was startled, and not only by the uneasy aura about the room. It was clear that the horn was magically infused, Twilight thought. The magical energy swirled around it in a senseless manner, as if it would have been waiting to be released for ages. She took one last look at the horn before turning back.

She told Spike to get upstairs with her, with the dragon knowing exactly what was going to happen. The Princess needed to know about this horn and she needed to know about it fast. If the horn's purpose could be discovered, then perhaps they could risk blowing it. Until then, the ornamented horn was like a ticking time bomb.

Once the pair had reached upstairs, they got into writing the letter with as much care as possible to detail the happenings in the library.

But the door was opened by an unexpected visitor. A pony appeared, a book in her mouth as she looked at the library, surprised at the mess. The pink pony dropped the book on a table hurriedly and looked at all the other books.

'Twilight has been kidnapped! She wouldn't leave her library in a mess like this!' Pinkie Pie thought, donning a detective hat and taking a magnifying glass in one of her hooves. She looked at the library through it, making mental notes of all the things she found awry about the place, which was to say, everything. Pinkie soon saw the dragon sculpture with the horn in its mouth. She was really drawn towards it, for it reminded her of the flugelhorn she discovered in the Crystal Empire, though this one was more of a tuba. The golden decorations looked amazing. She took it from the pedestal, unfettered by the weight of the massive instrument which the statue had easily borne in its mouth.

'I wonder if I still got it...' Pinkie Pie said, lifting the mouthpiece to her lips. With a deep breath, she blew the horn, causing a massively loud boom to come out of the instrument, shaking the room and the pony to the very core. Magic soon appeared out of the horn, out of the room and out of the door at a surprising speed. Soon enough Twilight and Spike both came downstairs and looked at Pinkie, mouths wide open.

'Pinkie!' Twilight said, an angry look on her face.

'Oh hi Twilight! Don't worry, I wasn't gonna borrow it or anything, just gave it a testdrive! But didn't you get kidnapped?'

Confusion and annoyance were driven into conflict in Twilight's head for a few moments before Spike voiced her worst fears.

'Pinkie just blew the horn! The Princess needs to know!'

Meanwhile, inside a lone cave located on one of the many mountaintops that litter the Dragon Mountains, a stream of magic, many-hued in its appearance, found a pony laying down on the ground in what seemed to be prayer or meditation. It was as if the pony was contemplating the concept of contemplation. The magical power that circled the room made a strange noise as it moved, the only companion to the barely audible heartbeat of the pony in the middle. If the pony had any knowledge of the magical anomaly, he gave no sign. As silent as ever, the pony ignored the magical stream as it circled around him, causing his mane to swirl in the unnatural wind. With a swift movement it lunged at the amulet resting on the pony's neck, causing light to emerge from it. And with it, the pony's eyes opened, as if suddenly reanimated by the flash of magical power that the amulet radiated.

As if taking this as a signal, the pony roused himself, standing and exiting the cave. He looked in the direction the disruptor of his meditation had come from, a worried look on his face. As suddenly as the magic had entered the amulet, the pony's face steeled itself in determination as the stallion prepared for the long and arduous descent from the mountainside.

Twilight criss-crossed around her study room impatiently, writing a letter by using her magic while she did so. Spike kept an eye on Pinkie Pie while he informed her of what happened within the library. Pinkie just stared at the dragon like a little filly about to recieve a piece of candy.

'Dear Princess Celestia,

Moments ago Spike and I discovered a room with a strange horn and a note inside. The note was apparently written by an "exiled hermit" who wanted to make sure that the horn was not discovered unless it was needed. Unfortunately Pinkie Pie came in and blew the horn while we were not watching. According to her, it sent a stream of magical energy straight out of the horn and out of the door. The note mentions dragons and mountains, so my guess is that the magical power surged towards the Badlands in the south.

I am not sure whether this chain of events that have been triggered is going to be good for Ponyville or not, but for some reason I get the feeling that this hermit has enough power to cause much devastation. Spike and I are on the way to Canterlot by the time you recieve this letter so please make any required arrangements so we can talk as soon as we arrive.

I fear that if you do not help, then Ponyville's end will come across faster than we can imagine...

Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle'

As Twilight finished the letter, she presented it to Spike, who had just finished telling Pinkie what happened.

A gout of flame soon appeared from Spike's mouth which engulfed the letter. The paper disappeared in a puff of smoke that went through the window in the direction of Canterlot. The baby dragon stared forward into nothingness, catching his breath like it would be his last. The story took a lot more out of him than he thought.

'Okay, it's on it's way... Pinkie, listen to me for a sec. Spike and I are going to Canterlot so I'm leaving things in your hooves while we are gone. Promise me not to tell anypony about anything that happened here until we return, ok?'

'I promise! You can count on me!' Pinkie said enthusiatically, zipping her mouth with her hoof.

'Pinkie Promise?'

The pink pony started the Pinkie Promise Exclamation with her mouth still being zipped shut. By the time she finished her sentence, Twilight and Spike were both gone. She looked at the door to the library, unzipping her mouth as she did so. Spike was riding on Twilight's back as the pair receded into the distance. The dragon also had a small bag attached to a stick with him. Then she looked at the tuba she blew a few minutes ago, which seemed to have lost some of its appeal, likely due to the magical power inside the horn being spent.

'Well, at least I know that I can play a tuba... Oh I know! I'll hold a musical while those two are away! And after that, A PARTY!' And with that, the pink pony hopped out of the library with the tuba on her back, the instrument seeming to weigh nothing as the pony just hopped along towards Sugarcube Corner, where Pinkie had stored the rest of her instruments.

Half an hour later, on the train bound for Canterlot, Twilight looked out of the window in the cabin they got when they boarded the train, wondering what this all could mean. Is she over-reacting? It could just be a call-out to a pony who might have died of old age long ago. It could have been an elaborate prank. It could all be just a bad dream which she could wake from by pinching herself. She tried it. No good.

She looked at Spike, who was just minding his own business. He was not looking that worried now that they were on their way to meet the princess. Compared to him, Twilight bore the world on her back at that moment. She looked out once again and sighed, thinking that it was her fault. She shouldn't have told Spike to torch the book. She should have just given up and let the baby dragon sweep the dust despite the book being in the way.

'I wonder if we are gonna be there in time,' Twilight thought. What if the Princess could not move any of her meetings? What if she had not recieved the letter at all?

No, dwelling on the possible bad ends is not going to help at all. The princess surely knows the severeness of the situation. As a team, Twilight and her friends are unstoppable. She knew that by now, yet thinking about it calmed her a little. Looking once more at Spike, she let out a small smile. Perhaps she should eat too. Can't save Ponyville on an empty stomach.

The rest of the train trip was done in silence. Well, as silent as the pair could be while munching on their impromptu dinner.

Eventually the conductor of the train came to the cabin and told the pair to get their things, they would arrive soon.